Warriors head coach Mark Jackson high fives Andre Iguodala (9) in the second half. The Golden State Warriors played the Los Angeles Clippers at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, April 27, 2014, in Game 4 of the first-round playoff series.

Warriors head coach Mark Jackson high fives Andre Iguodala (9) in the second half. The Golden State Warriors played the Los Angeles Clippers at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, April 27, 2014, in

Stephen Curry (30) lies on the ground as he collects himself after hard contact with Chris Paul (3) and getting called for a foul in the second half as the Warriors defeated the Clippers 100-99. The Golden State Warriors played the Los Angeles Clippers at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, May 1, 2014, in Game 6 of the NBA first round playoffs. less

Stephen Curry (30) lies on the ground as he collects himself after hard contact with Chris Paul (3) and getting called for a foul in the second half as the Warriors defeated the Clippers 100-99. The Golden ... more

The Warriors didn't make any grand pronouncement about their coaching future Monday. No firings. No extensions. Nothing.

Which may be exactly the way the organization lets this thing play out. By doing nothing.

In the Joe Lacob vs. Mark Jackson face-off, the primary scenario is that Jackson may be fired. In truth, Jackson may be the one to choose to leave. The Warriors could simply decline to give him an extension, asking him to coach the last year of his contract as a lame duck, forcing both Jackson's ego and his hand.

"He's got to figure out the best situation for him," Curry said. "If it's not here, then we have to respect that situation. It's similar to (Lakers coach Mike) D'Antoni. If he doesn't get the extension he's looking for, he has to protect his future."

It would be the diabolically smart move for the Warriors: put the decision in Jackson's hands. It would make them look far less idiotic to a watching world that can't figure out why an organization that has been so historically pathetic would fire a coach who has won 98 regular-season games in two seasons and gotten his team to the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time in nearly a quarter-century.

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More importantly, turning this into Jackson's decision might prevent Curry from becoming embittered by the organization. That could happen if the Warriors took direct action and actually fired their head coach.

And that is not a small consideration. The NBA is a players' league, more than any other professional sport. When your star player - one who is on his third coach and has known the particular brand of misery the Warriors specialized in for years - backs a coach, it's not something to be taken lightly.

Curry - not Lacob, Jackson or general manager Bob Myers - is the most important voice in the Warriors' organization. All those other guys inherited Curry, are benefiting from his immense talent and would be crazy to alienate him. It's a league of egos, but mostly it's a league of superstars, and Curry is the only guy in the building remotely close to that status.

On Monday, once again, Curry voiced his strong support for Jackson. Though no longer immersed in the emotional aftermath of Saturday's Game 7 loss, Curry was just as unwavering in his position. It's almost as though he's daring the organization to defy his desire.

Curry didn't go so far as to say he'd take radical action if Jackson were not retained. But don't rule it out.

"I'll be able to understand the temperature of what's going on - I'm in the loop," Curry said, when asked if he might take a more adamant stand. "I haven't really put myself in that position because I want to let things unfold a little bit. To jump the gun and put people in awkward positions is not my thing.

"If I need to do that, it probably won't be public. But I'll let my opinion be known."

Yes, Curry is a very nice guy and is a team player. He's not Kobe Bryant or Carmelo Anthony. But if Magic Johnson had the power to get a coach fired when he was in his third season, don't underestimate Curry's influence over the Warriors' coaching decision. Curry has more power than he knows.

Curry didn't want to speculate on the possibility of playing under his fourth coach in six years next season.

"If something happened, I'd have to adjust," he said. "But right now there's no need to take my mind there. It would be kind of polluting it."

He also noted, "As players, you want to be led by a group that's unified."

The Warriors' leaders are clearly not unified. This festering situation has bled into every other story line. There are enormous egos and entrenched beliefs on both sides. But while Jackson owns some responsibility and may not be the greatest strategist, he has achieved something that is crucial in the NBA: getting his players to buy in. That is far harder than it looks, harder than drawing up plays.

Lacob may be convinced he can get a better coach, but he has been absolutely certain about other things. Like the ability to build a waterfront arena in San Francisco. And don't forget that, at one time, Lacob was the one who was insistent that Jackson would be a great coach.

The Warriors need to tread cautiously. Too often, we've seen ego battles in sports lead to abrupt changes without clear alternative plans, unraveling teams or setting them back for years. Similar squabbles have ripped at the Giants, the 49ers, the Raiders, the A's. The Warriors themselves imploded over egos in the early 1990s and didn't recover until recently.

The Warriors need to make absolutely sure they have a better alternative to Jackson.

They have to be convinced that a disruption won't take the franchise a step backward.

But, most of all, they can't alienate Stephen Curry. He might not have the biggest ego, but he's the most important part of the franchise.

Scott Ostler: The Warriors and Mark Jackson have been good for each other. B2

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